Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has tackled the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, for declaring labour leaders wanted in his state.



He said this during a live interview with PUNCH Online, adding that the governor does not have the power to declare labour leaders wanted.

According to him, El-Rufai’s actions and inability to govern Kaduna State peacefully show that he cannot rule Nigeria.

The rights activist said El-Rufai has failed in fulfilling the primary obligation of government, which is to protect the people of Kaduna State.

He said, “The law that deals with economic sabotage is a federal law, state governors don’t enforce federal laws except they have the permission of the Federal Attorney General to do so.

“Secondly, governors don’t have the power to declare people wanted, only security agents can do that. Thirdly, in most cases to declare people wanted, you need court authorisation. The courts have been on strike for almost two months.

“It takes a lawless person to take laws into their hands and declare people wanted. The NLC president is in Kaduna and he is not hiding.
“El-Rufai is not the military, he cannot rule by edict. He cannot operate as a lawless entity. He is endangering Kaduna and the entire country.

“The real tragedy is that he has the ambition to rule Nigeria. El-Rufai cannot manage this country. Woes beget Nigeria if El-Rufai has the opportunity to rule this country.

“His occupying public office should end in Kaduna State. We are going to make sure that his presidential ambition fails.”
governor declared the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, and others wanted. The governor also sacked workers who joined the strike action in the state.

Wabba had on Monday led workers in the state on a warning strike to force the state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to rescind his decision to sack workers in the state.

The action by NLC led to the grounding of economic and social activities in the state with workers in the railway, aviation, medical sector, and others joining the protest staged by the Congress.